The air in İstanbul is very clean, even cleaner than many cities in Turkey. The increasing use of natural gas is not the only reason for cleaner air in İstanbul. This city works very hard to keep its air clean.If we think about things concerning İstanbul that people would have changed 10 years ago, the air in the city would be on the top of most people’s lists. In comparison with past years, there has been considerable improvement in İstanbul’s air. There is no longer a smoky smell outside, and the days when women did not want to hang their laundry outdoors have vanished. The opinion that the air in İstanbul is polluted has started to disappear with each passing day. In fact, İstanbul’s air is cleaner than the air in Kayseri, Konya, Edirne and İzmir; however, was İstanbul’s air clean approximately 10 or 15 years ago? İstanbulities at the earliest opportunity were leaving İstanbul back then, when the city was covered by heavy fog. Of course, sometimes people regretted leaving, as they felt better about the air after returning to İstanbul. In short, air pollution in İstanbul became one of the most spoken about topics, even more than İstanbul’s Bosporus view or historic beauties.
The reason for air pollution is obvious: Population growth that is caused by immigration, the increased use of fuel and traffic pollution. In fact, the same problems still exist in İstanbul. Well, what has changed so far?
There was a considerable increase in air pollution especially during the winter with people using stoves. Of course, the use of natural gas rather than stoves contributed to the decrease in air pollution. The number of natural gas subscribers was 39,000 in 1992 according to data from the İstanbul Gas Distribution Industry and Trade Inc. (İGDAŞ). However, as of January 2010, the number had risen to 4,199,948. This means that the biggest factor that has helped İstanbul’s air stay cleaner is the increasing use of natural gas. Qualified fuels (qualified coal, fuel oil), the improvement of heating apparatuses, the installation of heating devices and industries controlling pollution are also some of the reasons for diminishing air pollution in İstanbul. Above all, to ascertain which region in İstanbul has more air pollution is the most important thing.
According to data from the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), measuring air pollution started in October 1995 with two mobile measurement stations on the Anatolian and European sides of İstanbul. Thanks to these measurements, factors causing air pollution are continuously being determined. In 1998, in addition to the two stations, eight stations were also established to determine the factors leading to air pollution. Information concerning factors that play a role in air pollution is saved automatically every 15 minutes. Then, the data are converted into hourly or daily averages by technical personnel. All data are taken into consideration, and a data file is created to analyze air pollution. In order for there not to be any mistakes, measurement apparatuses are often controlled by officials.
İstanbul Environment and Forestry Chairman Mehmet Emin Birpınar stated that they have made progress concerning air pollution that has been a result of homes and industrial buildings, emphasizing that pollution from exhaust has decreased by 50 percent. “We check exhaust measurements with the gendarmerie all the time. Individuals that cause air pollution receive fines of TL 646. We give this fine to many people because they refuse to pay TL 22 to purchase the exhaust emission stamp. There are about 3 million vehicles in İstanbul, and we were only able to sell stamps for their vehicles. Consequently air pollution has decreased. Our goal is to increase this number to 80 or 90 percent. With new changes, fresh air awaits İstanbulities,” Birpınar added.
